Category Archives: Chester

Lori Warner Gallery Hosts ‘ART-ISTRY’ Featuring Work of David Rau from Flo Gris: Opening Reception Tonight

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Detail from a featured work by David Rau in the ART-ISTRY exhibition opening Oct. 1 at the Lori Warner Gallery.

Detail from a featured work, ‘Untitled,’ by David Rau in the ART-ISTRY exhibition opening Oct. 1 at the Lori Warner Gallery.

ART-ISTRY, featuring new work by David D. J. Rau and Christopher B. Steiner, opens Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Lori Warner Gallery in Chester with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. to which all are welcome.  On view will be three-dimensional assemblage pieces by Rau, and limited edition prints and original photomontage works by Steiner.

This exhibition will be a very special one since the Lori Warner Gallery invites artists to exhibit their work once per year and the selection process is highly competitive.

David D.J. Rau’s Vintage Hardware Drawer series, was inspired by 14 antique drawers that originally held screws, bolts, and plugs (according to the various labels). Rau transforms them into miniature surreal stage sets using vintage and antique pieces collected over the years. Inspired by the past, his aesthetic combines vintage photography, tattered paper, intriguing ephemera, and antiques into humorous, ironic, and most importantly, beautiful scenes. 

Rau is the Director of Education & Outreach at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Conn. Responsible for the public programs and making connections between the art and history and the Museum’s visitors. Rau holds a masters degree in Art History and a certificate of Museum Studies from the University of Michigan. Rau has worked at Cranbrook Art Museum.

Detail from "The Fall of Suburban Man" by Christopher Steiner.

Detail from “The Fall of Suburban Man” (2016) by Christopher Steiner.

Christopher B. Steiner has always been partial to artists with “a deep sense of wit and (twisted) humor.” His work has been described as “irreverent parody with a twist of dark absurdity.” Steiner deconstructs iconic or cliché images and well-rehearsed art-historical traditions in order to invite alternative readings. These interventions are meant to surprise, delight, destabilize, and sometimes even shock. His intent is to “reinvigorate familiar images by bringing to them new perspectives and insights through unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur visual tropes”.

Steiner holds an undergraduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. He is the Lucy C. McDannel ’22 Professor of Art History and Anthropology at Connecticut College, where he also serves as Founding Director of the Museum Studies Program.

Steiner is also a member of the board of trustees of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, where he was also Interim Director in 2003-04. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Boards of both the Florence Griswold Museum and the Bellarmine Museum at Fairfield University.

The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 1, and is free and open to the public. The Lori Warner Gallery is located at 21 Main St. in Chester, Conn.

For further information, call 860-322-4265, email gallery@loriwarner.com and visit www.loriwarner.com or www.facebook.com/loriwarnergallery/

eum; the Henry Ford Museum and The Currier Gallery of Art. Rau also teaches Museum Studies at Connecticut College.

Chester Sunday Market Now Open for the Season

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ChesterSundayMarketLogoCHESTER – The Chester Sunday Market opened for the season on Sunday, June 12.  It will now be open on all Sundays through the summer starting at 10 a.m.

The vendors are all listed on the Market’s website (http://chestersundaymarket.jimdo.com), with links to their websites.  They are:

  • Seven farms bringing produce – Chatfield Hollow Farm, Deep Hollow Farms, Dondero Orchards, Hunts Brook Farm, Sage Hill Farm, Upper Pond Farm and Wellstone Farm.
  • Meat, fish and poultry from Four Mile River Farm, Gourmavian Farms, Maple Breeze Farm and The Local Catch.
  • Beltane Farm bringing cheese & dairy products.
  • Bread from Alforno Restaurant and Howard’s Breads.
  • Plus, flowers and honey and jams and pickles and biscotti from: Hay House, Stonewall Apiary, Little Bird Provision Co. and Biscotti and Beyond.

Live music is lined up for each week, beginning on June 12 with Deep Blue Remedy. The bands play from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In the words of the organizers: “The philosophy of the Chester Sunday Market is to bring the community together with local products and to have a good time doing it. It is a weekly town-wide farmers’ market that brings our community together. We invite local vendors to sell produce, meats, cheeses, breads and so much more.  Our goal is to stay local so we can help the smaller farmers in the area. Having all these amazing vendors join us in our lovely little town is a great way to promote our community and see each other. Main Street is closed off for the market giving the patrons the freedom to walk about town. Music is provided along with a bistro area so you can sit and have a cup of coffee or a slice of pizza.”

Market hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Because Main Street is closed to traffic between West Main St. (Rte. 148) and Maple St., shoppers are invited to park in the town public parking lots on Maple Street and at 20 Water St. (Rte. 148). Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

Shops and galleries are open during Market hours and often offer special happenings. You can find late breakfast or lunch at the restaurants in Chester Center, or buy some pizza on the street from one of the vendors, Frank Andrews Mobile Kitchen.

More information about the Chester Sunday Market at: Facebook.com/ChesterSundayMarket and http://chestersundaymarket.jimdo.com/. You can also find out more about Chester at Facebook.com/VisitChesterCT and Facebook.com/AlwaysonSundayinChester.

Take Chester Historical Society’s Creative Challenge with 1950s Manicure Sticks

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The Chester Historical Society invites you to take its Sticks Challenge based on these “orange sticks” made by the Bishop and Watrous Novelty Works around 1950. More information at the Chester Gallery, 860-526-9822. Photo by Skip Hubbard

The Chester Historical Society invites you to take its Sticks Challenge based on these “orange sticks” made by the Bishop and Watrous Novelty Works around 1950. More information at the Chester Gallery, 860-526-9822. Photo by Skip Hubbard

AREAWIDE – The Chester Historical Society is inviting anyone who likes a challenge to participate in its sixth Creative Challenge linking Chester history and art.

This spring, those accepting the 2016 Sticks Challenge will be given a bagful of short wooden manicure sticks, made from Florida citrus trees and shaped at the Bishop and Watrous Novelty Works on Maple Street around 1950.

As with last year’s Hooked Again! Challenge based on hooks from Chester’s M.S. Brooks factory, this spring’s Sticks Challenge is for area artists, sculptors, photographers, engineers, jewelry designers, and all others with a creative mind.

The sticks are available at Chester Gallery in Chester Center (860-526-9822). The artists’ entrance fee of $30 includes a bagful of the sticks and two tickets to the Sticks Challenge Silent Auction & Reception on Saturday, April 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House.

All proceeds from the silent auction help the Chester Historical Society preserve Chester history and maintain the Chester Museum at The Mill.

For more info on the Historical Society and this year’s Creative Challenge, visit www.ChesterHistoricalSociety.com or Facebook.com/ChesterCTHistoricalSociety

Celebrating a Year of ‘Pearls and Plaid’

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The charming exterior of 'Pearls and Plaid" in Haddam, Conn.

The charming exterior of ‘Pearls and Plaid” in Haddam, Conn.

Just a few weeks ago, on Nov. 12, local Haddam boutique “Pearls and Plaid” celebrated its first birthday. The store is located just a few shops down from the Goodspeed Opera House by the Haddam Bridge, making it a popular destination for tourists as well as regular townies.

The tiny store is packed with clothing draped on walls and mirrors, spread on top of and underneath chests and drawers, and hung on pipes. Kristin Lemley, who is both an employee and sister of owner Caroline Lemley, comments,“From the start she (Caroline) really didn’t want it to be a typical clothing store with racks and shelves. We wanted it to be interesting to look at and always changing.”

A peek inside the store.

A peek inside the store.

Kristin, who lives in Essex while sister Caroline is a Killingworth resident, has followed the project from the very beginning.  She notes enthusiastically, “I think the store is unique because of the wide variety of people who shop there,” adding to prove her point, “Parents will come in and buy things for their eight-year-old daughters … but my grandma also shops there.”

The store’s professed style is, “Where northern prep meets southern charm,” and its inventory certainly lives up to its logo. Rompers, dresses, jewelry, and various accessories are the most popular items in the store, and new items arrive just as quickly as the old ones sell out.

A veritable treasure trove of items are always on sale at competitive prices.

A veritable treasure trove of items are always on sale at competitive prices.

‘Pearls and Plaid’ is a great example of the local businesses that are the heart and soul of our small communities. These businesses bring the community together and provide a more intimate experience than larger scale corporations. Just as we rely on them to bring character to our local communities, they rely solely on our support to maintain their status.

Let’s commit to keep the charm and personality in our small towns by supporting ‘Pearls and Plaid’ and all the other small businesses in our local area to ensure many more anniversaries are celebrated!

Editor’s Note: Pearls and Plaid is located at 4, Norwich Rd., East Haddam, CT.  Its regular opening hours are Tue-Fri: 12 to 6 p.m., Sat: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, Call 860.876.7328.

Old Lyme Appraisal Experts Join Chester’s “Antiques Roadshow” This Morning

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Norman and Linda Legassie, of Old Lyme, have been the proprietors of Stepping Stones Antiques LLC in Old Saybrook since 1976 and longtime antiques appraisers.

Norman and Linda Legassie, of Old Lyme, have been the proprietors of Stepping Stones Antiques LLC in Old Saybrook since 1976 and longtime antiques appraisers.

Old Lyme residents Norman and Linda Legassie and Jeffrey Cooley will be among the 11 appraisers at the Chester Historical Society’s 12th Antiques & Jewelry Appraisal on Saturday, Nov. 7, at St. Joseph’s Parish Center, 48 Middlesex Avenue (Rte. 154) in Chester, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Over the years, people from all over the state have learned that Chester Historical Society’s annual appraisal event offers what they need – many knowledgeable and professional appraisal experts, an easily accessed venue, and helpful and friendly volunteers.

This year, Norman and Linda Legassie, Old Lyme residents who own Stepping Stones Antiques in Old Saybrook, are generalists, appraising everything from silver to furniture to musical instruments and much more.

Jeff Cooley

Jeff Cooley

Jeffrey Cooley, longtime owner of the renowned Cooley Gallery on Lyme Street, will appraise art.

Douglass Bjorn is a generalist from Stonington and Peggy Maraschiello, another generalist well known for her expertise in textiles and more, is the longtime owner of River Wind Antiques in Deep River.

Three appraisers focus on jewelry (both vintage costume jewelry and gems) and all timepieces. They are Paul Indorf of CT Jewelry Appraisers, Gay Sherman Weintz (vintage costume jewelry) and Garry Craig of The Timekeeper in Wallingford.

Books and manuscripts are the expertise of Orville Haberman of CT River Books, glass and oil lamps are seen by John Newman of Deep River, and Steve Lutar of Guilford Coin Exchange specializes in coins and currency (and silver by weight).

Bring up to three separate items to be appraised. Verbal appraisals will cost $10 for the first item; $20 for two items; or $25 for three items. All proceeds will benefit the programs and museum of the Chester Historical Society. There is ample parking and handicapped access, and seats for while you wait.

Details about all the appraisers and directions to the Nov. 7 event are at www.ChesterHistoricalSociety.org. Have questions? Call 860-558-4701 or email ChesterCTHistoricalSociety@gmail.com.

Captions

Norman and Linda Legassie, of Old Lyme, have been the proprietors of Stepping Stones Antiques LLC in Old Saybrook since 1976 and longtime antiques appraisers.

Jeffrey Cooley, owner of The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, will be one of the featured appraisers at the Chester Historical Society’s Antiques & Jewelry Appraisal event on Saturday morning, Nov. 7.